Compacts

They may not look like siblings at first glance, but the 2019 Kia Forte and 2019 Hyundai Elantra have a shared lineage that makes these two compact sedans easy to compare. Well, for the most part. In our ratings, it’s nearly a draw between these two compact sedans. The Forte ekes out a win in...Read More»

The redesigned 2019 Mazda 3 sedan will cost compact car buyers $21,895 in its least expensive form when it goes on sale in March, the Japanese automaker said Tuesday. For the first time, Mazda will offer the 3 with all-wheel drive, which adds $3,000 to the base price. All prices include a mandatory...Read More»

An evolutionary redesign that bowed Wednesday at the 2018 LA Auto Show puts the 2019 Mazda 3 in line with the automaker's larger sedan and its crossover SUVs. Bigger changes come inside and behind the scenes, where the Mazda 3 ushers in a new fuel-saving, high-compression engine, a larger...Read More»

With the 2020 Corolla Toyota unveiled Thursday at simultaneous events in China and the U.S., the automaker makes its most dramatic effort yet to shed the small car's stodgy image. When the 2020 Toyota Corolla goes on sale next spring, it'll have a split personality. Most Corollas will likely be...Read More»

With the debut next week of its 2020 Corolla, Toyota will emphasize the global nature of its compact sedan. The 2020 Toyota Corolla will bow at the Guangzhou auto show in China on Thursday, and it'll make a simultaneous appearance at a private media event in California. The first time the U.S...Read More»

Shoppers looking at the pint-size 2019 Kia Rio won't have as many choices to make this year. The 2019 Rio lineup shrinks from six to three trim levels, and last year's standard manual transmission is no longer part of the picture. Priced from $16,195, including a mandatory $895 destination charge...Read More»

The 2018 Kia Rio is an award-winning car for safety according to the IIHS. The insurance industry-funded crash testers gave the Rio its Top Safety Pick+ award last week, although those top marks apply only to certain 2018 Rio trim levels. Both the Rio sedan and hatchback models received...Read More»

The 2019 Nissan Versa Note will be available with Apple and Android smartphone integration when the subcompact hatchback goes on sale soon, the automaker said Wednesday. Nissan's announcement puts the Versa Note hatchback in line with the Versa sedan, which also gained smartphone compatibility this...Read More»

Front-wheel-drive versions of the 2019 VW Golf should be more fuel-efficient than they were last year, but they won't be any quicker. VW said Thursday that the 2019 Golf lineup will use a 1.4-liter turbo-4 rated at 147 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque in the hatchback and SportWagen station...Read More»

Even though they are divisions of the same company, the divide between Kia and Hyundai has never been wider than with the 2019 Kia Forte. Under its clean styling suite of standard active safety tech sits the automaker’s first continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). Don’t go...Read More»

The 2019 Nissan Versa is the cheapest way to get that new car smell even after a small price increase over last year, the automaker announced last week. At $13,255 to start, Cars Direct pointed out that the 2019 Versa sedan costs $50 more than last year's edition. That money, which includes a...Read More»

EPA estimates for the redesigned 2019 Kia Forte show that the new compact sedan won't be a favorite of gas station owners. What will likely be the most popular 2019 Forte—the sedan with the optional continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT)—is rated at 30 mpg city, 40 highway...Read More»

The long-servicing 2019 Nissan Sentra gets a few important updates and a slight price bump for the new model year, highlighted by Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on most trim levels. The 2019 Nissan Sentra S now starts at $18,685 including a mandatory $895 destination charge, and comes standard with...Read More»

Ford made a big splash back in April when it announced it would not replace the Fiesta, Fusion, and Taurus with new models in the U.S. Though the 2020 Ford Focus Active will carry on the Focus name as a crossover, it won’t be built here like the current Focus is, as Ford confirmed to us...Read More»

General Motors said last week that it will recall 112,000 2016 through 2018 model year Chevrolet Cruze compact cars over a concern that their fuel tanks could leak in the event of a major rear impact. The recall covers a specific Cruze configration: the Cruze LS with a tire inflator kit rather than...Read More»

As buyers put their money on crossover SUVs rather than sedans in the game of new-car roulette, the 2019 VW Jetta hopes to be more than just a dapper, quiet observer on the sidelines. The latest Jetta is a mild-mannered four-door that does many things well, which may make it highly appealing to...Read More»

The 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback has had its passport stamped more than a few times. Debuting next week at the 2018 New York auto show, the 2019 Corolla Hatchback that Toyota previewed Friday is decidedly international. The new Corolla Hatchback replaces the Corolla iM in Toyota’s lineup...Read More»